Alvecote Pools is a
Site of Special Scientific Interest
A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Great Britain or an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle of ...
(SSSI) and nature reserve situated alongside the
River Anker, adjacent to the hamlet of
Alvecote
Alvecote is a hamlet in the North Warwickshire district of Warwickshire, England, situated on the county border with Staffordshire. Other settlements nearby are Shuttington (where population details can be found), Polesworth and the Tamworth di ...
on the border of
Warwickshire and
Staffordshire
Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation Staffs.) is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. It borders Cheshire to the northwest, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, Warwickshire to the southeast, the West Midlands Cou ...
in England. The majority of the reserve lies in the former county. Consisting of two discrete areas, Pooley Fields and Alvecote Meadows, the site covers in total and is the largest SSSI in Warwickshire. First
notified in 1955, the site has been owned by the
Warwickshire Wildlife Trust since 1997.
The site is effectively a series of shallow pools alongside the river that have arisen as an effect of colliery subsidence from Alvecote Colliery, which was later merged to form North Warwickshire Colliery and which ceased operation in 1965. In addition to the
wetland habitat, there are areas of
fen,
reedbed and
woodland. As a result, the area is regionally important for bird life, and over 100 species are reported annually, with between 60 and 70 breeding. The site is also important for beetles, with 322 species recorded, and spiders (121 species).
References
External links
Natural England SSSI unit listingMap with SSSI area highlighted at natureonthemap.org.uk
{{Authority control
Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Warwickshire
Nature reserves in Warwickshire
Tourist attractions in Warwickshire
Warwickshire Wildlife Trust